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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23800978">Diary of a Newlywed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaudadeTrials/pseuds/SaudadeTrials'>SaudadeTrials</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band), Winner (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, Bottom Oh Sehun, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Interviews, Light Angst, M/M, Married Life, Misunderstandings, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life, Top Kim Jongin | Kai, Young Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:47:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23800978</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaudadeTrials/pseuds/SaudadeTrials</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hi, I am Kim Jongin. You might know me as the director of the Korean production of the musical Hedwig, if you saw it despite its bad reviews that is, but most of you probably know me as author Oh Sehun's husband. The new production that my team and I are presenting tomorrow is about Sehun and me, our relationship I mean. So I guess, so is this interview. I will start from the beginning then. Shall we?" </p><p> </p><p>Amidst the amusing clash of age-old traditions and new-age ways, struggling musical director and writer Kim Jongin inspects his relationship with author Oh Sehun before and after marriage. In a conservative Korean society, how did these two friends and now lovers manage to carve out a place for themselves? Are they really that different from other young couples their age? Jongin thinks they're not but Sehun agrees to disagree. Perhaps the viewers of Jongin's new musical will have to make that decision for them. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Oh Sehun/Song Minho | Mino</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Seoul National University, Batch 2015</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Seoul National University, Batch 2015</h2><p>                                                                          </p><p> </p><p>"When we were working on the plot for this production, we decided to meet some unmarried couples. Mostly in their twenties and do you know what most of them said? <em>Marriage is a blessing.</em> What a fucking joke"</p><p>"Ask them the same question after 2 years of marriage and I am sure their answer will change. But then again, can I blame them? I mean I had the same thoughts and ideas about marriage when I had just met Sehun but Sehun didn't, not at all. From the very first time that I mentioned marriage, he made it pretty clear that it was going to be a nightmare and would require an incredible amount of effort to make it work. He always was the smart one among the two of us after all so it was no surprise that he was aware of this. What's surprising instead is that after knowing all of this he still decided to marry me!" </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, I know that when I say things like that it sounds like I hate being married but that's not true! I love Sehun, I really do. He means a lot to me but it's just that after you've been married for two years...your priorities sort of change. It's not like the love you have for each other decreases though but it's your energy that is channelled to different things. Like adult stuff, something I wasn't exactly fond of when we moved in together after getting married and to be honest I am still not. Of course, I still do them anyway because that's what a responsible adult does and also partly because Sehun already works too hard and I don't want to put any extra burden on him by becoming a man child he constantly needs to worry about"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, how did we first meet, right. We were both in Seoul National University, Batch of 2015. I think it was fate that brought us together since it is a huge university but Sehun thinks it's the fact that we were both in the same batch in the Arts and Humanities Department. He double-majored in English and Korean and I went with theatre. I still remember the first time we met. We were both in the same Screenwriting class with Prof. Yu. Yu surely was an asshole but I can't really say much since he was the reason why Sehun and I started talking to each other. We were in the same group for our first activity"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                                                             </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin looked at the tiny mirror in his dorm room for the umpteenth time and ran a hand through what he called his tastefully messy hair when a pillow was chucked at him. </p><p>"You look fine you idiot. Just go already, the object of your latest infatuation is probably already waiting for you. You were supposed to meet him five minutes ago" Chanyeol said as he rolled his eyes at his roommate and childhood friend. Jongin threw the pillow back at the other before putting his shoes on. </p><p>"Shut up, he is just my partner for this assignment. What infatuation are you even talking about. Also, the library is like five minutes away. I am sure he won't mind waiting for ten minutes"</p><p>Chanyeol snorted as he put his book down, "Yeah right because you obviously didn't haunt Kyungsoo until he told you who that handsome blonde freshman was in English. I've seen you stare at his Instagram profile for at least an hour every day. College literally started three months ago, try and keep it in your pants Jongin"</p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about. See you later during dinner" Jongin's loud voice echoed in the tiny dorm room before the door was shut behind him. </p><p>"How did this moron get into SNU anyway?" Chanyeol said tsking as he went back to reading his book</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin's happiest moment in his barely three months old college life was the day an unknown number texted him saying it was Oh Sehun, his partner for the screenwriting assignment. Jongin smiled like a fool for the rest of the day, starting from the dreaded plot development class to dinner with his friends. So maybe Chanyeol wasn't entirely wrong. Jongin might just have developed a tiny crush on the star student of the Language department's freshman batch Oh Sehun. But in Jongin's defence how couldn't he? the boy was tall, good looking, had a pretty decent taste in clothing and to top it all off unlike most good looking people at SNU he was actually pretty nice and polite. He made great company. Not that Jongin would know of course since he had never really said anything more than <em>hi, did you do the assignment?</em> or <em>bye, have a nice day</em> to the younger but he was sure anywho. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin took a deep breath as his fingers clenched around the strap of his back and opened the door to the third floor of the library. Jongin looked around the rather full library as he tried to find a familiar-looking blonde. When did being blonde become so popular anyway? After looking at different corners of the third floor Jongin gave in and texted the younger only to receive an immediate reply. It simply said,</p><p>
  <em>Near the table at the A section of Victorian English Literature.</em>
</p><p>Jongin's eyes widened when he read that. He checked that place minutes ago, how did he even miss him? Sighing Jongin dragged his feet to the said place and finally came across Sehun. The boy was busy reading something in English, the book looked pretty old which cemented Jongin's belief that he was never going to read it. </p><p>His brows were furrowed in concentration as he nibbled on the pen cap he was holding. Okay, one fault found. The perfect boy chewed on his pen cap but Jongin couldn't care less about it. He cleared his throat as he approached the younger and sat down with a polite smile on his face. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Hello Sehun, right? I am Kim Jongin. I am sorry for being late, I couldn't find you with so many people in here" he introduced himself as the boy looked up and at once his face lit up with a warm smile. </p><p>"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you Jongin. Please don't apologise! It's fine really. We don't exactly know each other so it's natural that you couldn't find me in here with so many people around"</p><p><em>Speak for yourself, I know who you are well enough.</em> Jongin thought to himself but he only sheepishly chuckled in reply because blurting out what he was actually thinking would have been a bit creepy in his humble opinion. </p><p>"Right, so where should we start from? Do you have any ideas in mind?" Sehun asked and the conversation flowed naturally from there. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Just as he had expected, Sehun was easy to be around and made everyone around him feel comfortable. Plus since unlike Jongin he actually paid attention in class he spearheaded the assignment. The two of them met around thrice a week during that one month and became pretty good friends or as Chanyeol liked to say, acquaintances but Jongin didn't agree with Chanyeol. When asked why Sehun didn't hang out with him other than for working on the assignment, Jongin said that it was only because Sehun was busy since he was a double-major student. Chanyeol didn't really try to refute him though since being around Sehun had been good for Jongin. The boy actually started studying, kept his room clean and started exercising. Majority of it was to impress Sehun, sure but at least Jongin wasn't munching on cookies for dinner in the same clothes as yesterday while watching Tangled on his laptop. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sadly though a week after they had submitted his assignment Jongin realised that once again Chanyeol was probably right. Sehun rarely replied to Jongin's messages anymore and when he did it was usually after two to three days. Yes, they did exchange more than Hellos, and Byes now when they saw each other but that was it. It wasn't even like Sehun was avoiding him, he was still very kind and even came up to congratulate him when their assignment was graded the best even among the submissions from their seniors. Jongin just didn't get it. Was he not fun to hang out with?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"No, you're not. You're a pain in the ass" Kyungsoo said as his fingers moved from one button to the other in a split second, eyes staring wide at the tiny laptop screen in front of him and Chanyeol. </p><p>"Hey, don't be mean! I called you here to help not to play fucking PUBG" Jongin said as he groaned in frustration and flopped down on his bed. </p><p>"Just ask him out for a movie or something. Ask him to go as a friend all casual instead of on a date if you're too nervous" Chanyeol suggested as he sighed and put the controller down when the words <em>DSK WINS </em>flashed on the screen. </p><p>"Are you crazy? That's the worst idea ever. Maybe I should bump into him more often" </p><p>Kyungsoo scoffed as he turned to face the younger. "And how are you going to do that? By stalking him? As if you're not weird enough already"</p><p>"No! That's creepy. Why would I do that? I was thinking of taking the same electives as him and I already have at least two classes with him every semester anyway" Jongin said as he sat up, the look on his face showed that he probably thought this was a brilliant idea. </p><p>Chanyeol and Kyungsoo might have had a different opinion though as they shared a look. </p><p>"Right, because purposefully taking the same classes as him isn't creepy at all" </p><p>"Exactly. Let me sign up right away" Jongin said as he pulled his laptop on his lap and Kyungsoo and Chanyeol shared another look before starting the next round. It wasn't like Jongin was going to listen to them so might as well continue playing. </p><p> </p><p>   </p><p>                                                                               </p><p> </p><p>"Now that I think of it, that was probably the single most creepy thing I could do. I don't know why men think ideas like this are better than directly approaching the person you like. What was I thinking?"</p><p> </p><p>"You know when I think back to our days in college I can't help but wonder how Sehun ended up with me. Whatever 19-20 Year Old Jongin thought was adorable or romantic always turned out to be either stupid or weird. It's all because of those shitty romantic comedies and dramas that we saw as teenagers and none of them were ever about couples like Sehun and I. They were always about a pretty girl and a rich guy or whatever other messed up power dynamics people were into those days. I guess that's why I decided to go ahead with this production. I want more people to know that there are many couples like us. Their stories are probably different from ours because no love story is the same now is it?"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Wait, you guys will censor the names, right? Please do otherwise Chanyeol and Kyungsoo will eat my head. While you guys do that I will go and take a quick smoke break. Don't tell Sehun about it!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Senior from Modern Music</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>The Senior from Modern Music</h2><p>                                                                        </p><p> </p><p>"I really thought the plan was ingenious. I mean, if he saw me around that much, he would obviously come around and talk more often with me. Therefore, it would lead to us hanging out together as friends and not just for assignments, and as a result, we would get closer. It was perfect. Or at least that's what I thought."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Once we got the time table, I saw that Sehun and I would be spending around twelve hours together. Three classes which meant six lectures together every week. Okay, maybe not <em>together</em>, together but we would be in the same classroom which was close enough. I even went shopping during the semester break to pick up stuff I knew would look good on me. I ended up dragged Chanyeol to the mall with me because as much as I hate his sense of fashion, he was the only option I had. I couldn't go around asking my sisters because they wouldn't stop with the teasing."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"On the first day of next semester, I was rather excited. I put on the new stuff that I bought, and I even put on the cologne Sehun once complimented as I entered our first class together. I absolutely hated romanticism in English literature, but that was the elective Sehun had chosen so there I was. I saw him sitting on the third row with one of his friends and waved at him. He saw me as well and he smiled and waved back. Luckily the other seat next to him was still empty, so I walked over to sit there. I thought that nothing could ruin that semester for me."</p><p>"I guess I spoke too soon because after that this random guy showed up and took the seat. That's where everything started going wrong."</p><p> </p><p>                                                                        </p><p> </p><p>"Who the fuck is this Song Mino, and why is he all cosy with Sehun?" Jongin asked as he paced around the tiny dorm room. </p><p>"Oh you mean that good looking senior from Modern Music? Apparently, he is a family friend of Sehun's. They even went to the same high school and guess what, I was talking to one of our batch mates and the rumour mill says that they even dated for a while. Had the families blessings and everything, they're probably dating again" </p><p>Jongin wasn't happy at all to hear this and his face turned even sourer after he heard his friend. He looked at Chanyeol as if he was seeking some form of compassion from the older. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"What the fuck? Why did nobody tell me this? And where was he last sem?" he asked as a tired Chanyeol sat his friend down and patted his shoulder. </p><p>"There, there," he said while Jongin only groaned in reply.</p><p>"Chanyeol!" Kyungsoo called out his friends name as he looked equally if not more exasperated than Jongin.</p><p>"What? I am just trying to console him!"</p><p>"Well, you suck at it" Jongin groaned for the umpteenth time and pushed the hand off his shoulder. </p><p>"To answer your question. Mino was in London for a semester exchange program at Trinity. He came back during the semester break and the reason why nobody told you this was because A, none of us are that close to either of them and B, classes literally started today." Kyungsoo answered calmly. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That did nothing to calm Jongin though. Later that night he found himself stalking the senior on social media, the college website and everywhere else his name popped up when he searched it on Naver and Daum. </p><p>Much to his dismay Jongin found out that the older was good looking, pretty talented in his field, incredibly creative, popular and had a solid family background as well. The man even had some fan pages on Tumblr which had clips of his performances at local music festivals and events. No matter how much he searched it looked like everybody had nothing short of praises for Mino. What hit the hardest though was seeing all the pictures the man had posted with Sehun. The pictures made it obvious that they were very comfortable with each other and liked spending time together. Some of his old posts even had them in rather intimate embraces. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Jongin don't do this to yourself. What use is it looking up their pictures together? Kyungsoo did say that those were just rumours. Maybe they're not dating anymore but since they're childhood friends they still spend time together. You know, if you just ask Sehun you will have a clear answer." Chanyeol said in an attempt to cheer up his friend but it didn't seem to work.  </p><p> </p><p>For the next few weeks, Jongin was seen moping around the campus. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol tried really hard to cheer him up, in fact, they even took him to one of the campus parties, but everywhere Jongin went he saw Sehun and Mino together surrounded by their friends and the party was no exception. </p><p>The party plan had royally failed especially when Jongin saw a tipsy Sehun constantly lean on Mino for support. The older had an arm wrapped around Sehun's waist the entire evening as he whispered in the boy's ear and laughed with him. </p><p>The night ended with a drunk Jongin howling and complaining about his one-sided crush as Kyungsoo puked his guts out in the bathroom. </p><p>This semester was turning out exactly opposite to what Jongin had expected. Every day when he went to the same classes as Sehun, he found himself regretting taking so many classes together. He hated saying this but once again Chanyeol was right. He shouldn't have signed up for so many classes together and the fact that he didn't like a lot of them, made it even worse. He didn't even talk to Sehun anymore, he just smiled and waved back at him whenever they saw each other in class. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After a month of sulking Jongin finally decided to move on. As much as it hurt him, he was sure he would find more people who would interest him as much as Sehun did. Once classes were over for the day Jongin walked with purpose to the little cafe on the East side of the campus where Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were waiting for him. </p><p> </p><p>He dramatically pushed the doors open and walked towards where he could see Chanyeol sitting along with Kyungsoo. </p><p>"Chanyeol I've decided. I will go on one of those blind dates you were so keen on sending me to. Enough of this, I am no- Sehun?... Hey!" </p><p>Just a glance at the person sitting next to Chanyeol had Jongin gulping. How had he not even noticed him? He literally had blonde hair in a sea of black and brown plus he was also rather tall. </p><p>He put up a smile on his face and chuckled awkwardly as he sat down. He turned to look at Kyungsoo with the smile still present but his eyes told a different story. </p><p>
  <em>What is he doing here? </em>
</p><p>Kyungsoo only subtly shrugged and nodded towards his side where he saw another familiar face. What was up with him missing so many people?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, Kim Jongin, right? Nice to meet you. I am Song Mino, Sehun's close friend."</p><p>Jongin didn't want to make his annoyance obvious so he leaned forward and shook the man's hand before sitting down once again. </p><p>"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've actually heard a lot about you"</p><p>Chanyeol snorted in the background as Jongin not so subtly kicked his friend under the table. </p><p>Mino passed Sehun a knowing look which the other two didn't notice thanks to Chanyeol's sudden shriek but Jongin definitely did. Did they really have to be all close and share inside jokes like this in front of him?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Anyway I have a practice session to attend, so I will head out. It was nice meeting you guys. Hopefully, I will see you guys soon. See you later Hun" the man said, dressed in impeccable clothing as he got up and ruffled Sehun's hair before taking his leave.</p><p>Kyungsoo and Chanyeol followed suit and got up from their seats and picked up their bags.  </p><p>"Actually we have class too, Chanyeol and I have the same elective this sem. Bye guys, have fun." </p><p>Before Jongin could protest, both of them were already out of the cafe. <em>Great</em>, this was going to be wonderful. </p><p>Jongin sighed as he leaned back against his chair and rubbed the side of his forehead. </p><p>"Your classes must have just got over. Do you want something to eat? Chanyeol ordered a latte for you." Sehun said with a gentle smile and slid the cup towards him. </p><p>How was it that just one smile from Sehun suddenly had Jongin's resolve crumbling down at one go. Jongin really was whipped. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After weeks of avoiding him, this was a rather awkward situation and from the look on Sehun's face, he could tell that he wanted to have a <em>talk</em>. Not the casual one where they discuss milk first or cereal but one which guaranteed that one of them was going to be sobbing by the end and in this scenario, it was more likely that it would be Jongin who would end up sobbing. </p><p>"No, it's alright. Coffee will do. Thanks." he said as he took a sip of his latte. </p><p>"Jongin... I really don't know how to start this conversation without sounding childish but, I will give it a shot... Have you been avoiding me?" </p><p>Jongin nearly spat out his coffee when he heard that. </p><p>"I, what? god no. W-why would I do that?"</p><p>What a load of bull crap. Jongin thought to himself. </p><p>"Well, whenever I tried to come over to talk, you just gave me one-word replies before leaving because you had prior commitments" </p><p>"Oh, I didn't... I didn't think it would hurt you. I mean, I would never do it on purpose. It's just that I thought you didn't want to spend too much time with me, so I decided that it would be for the best if I kept my distance" Jongin admitted. </p><p>Great, he sounded like a sissy but at least it meant that Sehun noticed him and perhaps cared for him... right?</p><p>"Was it may be because of my text messages? God Jongin I am so sorry. I was swamped with work and classes last semester so I didn't have enough time to hang around or text people back. I know it's not an excuse but I am really bad at texting. I am more of a call person. I actually asked Kyungsoo during one of the classes if I could tag along because I wanted to talk to you because I suck at texting and I knew that if I approached you directly, you wouldn't want to talk" </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The sight of Sehun pursing his lips and nervously playing with his fingers made Jongin groan internally. Hanging out with the guy he liked, who was already in a relationship while trying to let go of your feelings for him was a pretty bad idea but then again when did Jongin ever come up with good ideas when it came to Sehun? and how was he even supposed to say no to that face?</p><p>"Sehun I would never push you away like that if you wanted to talk... I am truly sorry for hurting you. It wasn't my intention."</p><p>"If anyone should be apologising, it should be me Jongin. I always wanted to be good friends with you and instead of making an effort I only ended up pushing you away. I am so stupid... Okay, for a fresh start, how about we go for a movie together tomorrow? It's Saturday so we don't have any classes."</p><p>"Sure, I will ask Kyung-"</p><p>Jongin stopped midway as he felt Sehun's hand on his and the younger's soft chuckle echoed in his ears. </p><p>"When I said I wanted to go for a movie Jongin, I meant just us, but if you don't feel comfortable, I get it. We could invite some friends." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>What was Jongin doing? He had this one chance. Sehun himself had walked up to him and asked him out on a date and yet here he was messing it up. Wait, this wasn't a date. Sehun made it clear that he wanted to be good friends, besides the boy already had a far better boyfriend. He had to keep that in mind. </p><p>"No, I don't mind that. Not at all, but won't Mino mind?"</p><p>"Mino? Why would he mind? Also, why would what he thinks matter? Just... Nevermind. I will see you tomorrow at 5 near the North gate. Don't be late, yeah? Bye!" he said smiling as he got up and squeezed Jongin's hand before pulling away and leaving as well. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin stayed back as he sat there thinking to himself and ordered a few more lattes while at it. The moment felt bittersweet. After months of pining he finally knew that Sehun did not dislike him, in fact, he wanted to be good friends and spend more time which was a good sign, but on the other hand, he made it rather clear that they would only be friends. Now how was Jongin supposed to handle the friendly movie date the next day? </p><p> </p><p>                                                                      </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Song Mino... really is something else. I didn't want to admit it at the time because of my jealousy but he was really cool. As a matter of fact, I sort of looked up to him. I still do. He is a bit of an ass though. You would think being famous would make him more humble but of course not, it just made him bully me more often. He still teases me at every chance he gets." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"I can't blame him though. I was pretty embarrassing back in college, especially around Sehun. That day when I went back to my room I may or may not have tried to beat up Chanyeol and Kyungsoo first but after that, I spent the rest of the evening choosing what to wear and mentally preparing myself to not hope for anything. Sehun was in a relationship with someone he loved and cherished. I wouldn't have dared ruin that because of a simple crush. Instead, I thought that if I couldn't be in a romantic relationship with him, it didn't mean we couldn't be friends. I genuinely have always loved being around him. And I can't help but wonder if the reason why our relationship worked out despite everything we went through was because we started off as friends."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Can you give me a second? Sehun just texted, maybe his text will remind me of some other story from our college days that I can share with you guys... Wait a second. Who told Sehun that I was smoking? Hey, you guys shouldn't be like that! Now you will have to wait because he needs me to pick him up from the publishing house. Don't make faces at me, you guys shouldn't have given him blackmail material like that. Let's pick it up again from here after lunch."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello Everyone!<br/>I hope that despite everything going on, you are all able to cope up with your troubles in your own ways. This chapter introduces a new character! Slowly as the story progresses, more characters will show up and play an integral part in the story. Like I said before, this is still a very new format that I am trying with this story, so some feedback would be much appreciated! Let me know what you guys think! Leave any suggestions that you might have and subscribe and share the story if you like it! The next chapter will be up soon in another week or so. Until then please stay safe and help the people around you and ones in need!<br/>Loads of Love, <br/>Aish20</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Cool Down With The Old Spice</h2></a>
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  <em>Cool Down With The Old Spice</em>
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</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, I hope I am not too late. You know what traffic is like in Seoul during lunchtime, and mom for some reason refuses to ride in a cab. We tried to get her a driver, and she said she didn't feel safe. What a load of bullcrap. I told Sehun that if it's really that urgent she can wait but of course not. She said if I don't drop her, she will sue me for using her name and character in the play without her consent. Which mother does that?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, that reminds me, Sehun and my first date together, that's where we left off. How does my mother remind me of our first date together? Oh, you will see. It wasn't exactly a disaster. In fact, it was nothing short of perfect, just that maybe things went a bit too fast and according to my mother god is probably upset with me for being an atheist, so he decided to be a jerk about it."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                                                                                  </p><p> </p><p>"Tone down on the Old Spice unless you want Sehun to stay ten feet away from you throughout the date," Kyungsoo said, snorting as he typed away on his laptop in an attempt to finish his five thousand word paper before the deadline which was in about two hours. </p><p>"Who even uses Old Spice anymore anyway? You look all cool and shit in your clothes and then you smell like <em>that</em>. That's literally the worst character development ever," Chanyeol said in agreement as he pulled out an article from Buzzfeed which said, </p><p>"<em>Top 10 Biggest Turn Offs in Men</em>" and right there on number one position was none other than Axe but Old Spice was a close second. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin glared at the taller male as he snatched the phone away from him and threw it back on the bed. </p><p>"Yeah, well I wouldn't have to use Old Spice if you agreed to lend me your cologne now, would I? Besides it's too late," he said as he put his shoes on and grabbed his keys, phone and wallet before heading to the door.</p><p>"Not my fault that you used up all your cologne before you even landed an actual date!" Chanyeol called out or rather screamed for the entire floor to hear.</p><p>"It's not a date and fuck you!" Jongin screamed back as he ran towards the North gate because he was already late. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin thought or well, Chanyeol thought that reaching exactly on time would have been embarrassing which was why he found himself leaving at 5 sharp, instead of a little earlier like he should have if he wanted to reach on time. The journey to the gate wasn't exactly great either. Maybe Jongin did go overboard with the Old Spice because everyone he passed on the way turned to look at him and didn't look very pleased.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Somehow Jongin was only fifteen minutes late by the time he reached the gate. His face was red as he was coughing but thankfully the strong stench of Old Spice seemed to have died down. </p><p>"Sehun, hey! You didn't wait for too long right?" he asked as he took a few deep breaths and pretended to look like he didn't run all the way there. </p><p>Sehun unlike him was a sight to see. He turned to face him, dressed in a crisp white shirt and simple jeans, smiling at him. </p><p>Oh, you're finally here. I thought we were meeting at 5, it's already 5:15." Sehun said smiling as he glanced at his watch. </p><p><em>Fuck. </em>Jongin should have never listened to a virgin like Chanyeol, what kind of shitty advice was reaching late?</p><p>"I...was working on something and didn't see the time. Sorry!" he replied.</p><p>"Jongin, are you okay? Do you need water?" Sehun asked as his brows furrowed in concern. </p><p>"What? No, I am fine. No worries! We should get going, the show starts at 5:45," he said as he gulped and tried to smile. </p><p>Sehun only nodded as they walked to the bus station next to the gate and waited for the bus to arrive but he continued to look at Jongin, worried.</p><p>"We are seeing Punch, is that okay? I actually really like Yoo ah-in and I heard he is amazing in it," Sehun said as the bus finally arrived and both of them got in.</p><p>"Of course! In fact, I wanted to see Punch as well," Jongin replied enthusiastically and Sehun chuckled as he passed a bottle of water towards Jongin, "I am glad to hear that"</p><p>Jongin rubbed his nape as he looked at the blonde sheepishly before accepting the bottle and gulping it down. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the ride was fairly normal. They talked about classes, the latest shows, and more. Jongin's nervousness slowly washed away as he was reminded of why he fell so hard for the other. Sehun was like a breath of fresh air, he made Jongin feel incredibly comfortable around him. As cheesy as it sounded, when he was with Sehun, it felt like everything was going to be alright.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They saw the film, ate some cheese popcorn and even ended up strolling in the mall, goofing around before it was finally time to leave. They were out the entire evening. By the time they got off at the bus stop near the main gate, it was already 11. It had been six hours yet it didn't feel like they had been out for too long. Jongin didn't want the evening to end this quickly. He didn't really expect much, to be honest. Okay maybe he did have some expectations deep down, but he had worked very hard to keep them at bay. It was supposed to be two friends hanging out together, that's what he constantly repeated in his head lest he forgot but it just felt so much like an actual date that Jongin couldn't help it. He didn't want to do anything stupid and push Sehun away though. After all, why would you want to be friends with someone who doesn't respect the fact that you're taken? Maybe the evening was simple and uneventful, a normal night out with a friend and Jongin was reading too much into it. That's what it was.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"This was really fun! We should hang out together more often" Sehun said as he wrapped his hand around Jongin's arm and leaned onto his shoulder. Immediately Jongin could feel his heart thudding in his chest, the loud sounds ringing in his ears. He had to leave because the chances of him doing something stupid was getting exceedingly high. </p><p>"We should, but it's getting late now so I think for now we should go back in," Jongin said as he patted the other's shoulder and gently pulled away much to both his and Sehun's surprise. </p><p>"Oh...I, yeah. Sorry. God, I am so stupid. I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I just, Mino said I should be bold and take a step instead of just sitting and waiting and that if I continued what I was doing I would stay single forever. I read the signals wrong. I am so sorry."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Wait, what was Sehun exactly saying? And Sehun babbles too? He had never seen him this way before. He simply couldn't understand what Sehun was trying to say. It took him a few minutes to try and analyze what Sehun had just said as the younger stood there, waiting for his reaction.</p><p>"Wait so...you like me?" he asked as his voice became embarrassingly high pitched near the end. The best-case scenario that he imagined was Sehun professing his undying love for him and them ending up together and living happily ever after but that obviously wasn't going to happen but Sehun liking him back felt no less than a jackpot either. Sehun looked at him confused as he nodded, "Well, yeah. I thought it was obvious? I mean, I asked you out and you came today so I just thought that you knew." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An idiot. That's what Jongin was. "But Mino? Aren't you dating him?" he asked like the fool he was instead of answering him.</p><p>Sehun snorted and ended up laughing, "God no. Mino and I just don't make sense as a couple. We realised it pretty soon in school. We broke up and decided to remain as friends before he came to college. He was the one who encouraged me to tell you that I like you."</p><p>All of this felt a little too unreal. Jongin gulped as he turned to face Sehun and placed his hands on the younger's shoulders. </p><p>"So you're telling me that you're not dating anyone and that you like me?" Jongin asked as he looked at Sehun seriously.</p><p>"Jongin...if you don't like me back it's fine. Please don't try to embarrass me," Sehun said as he started growing uncomfortable by now. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jongin looked at him in shock as he shook his head, "what are you talking about? god no. I just never expected you to like me. Fuck, Sehun. Are you serious?" Jongin asked as he took a deep breath. </p><p>Sehun chuckled before nodding, "I don't know if you've noticed but I am not exactly very social and neither am I young enough to play such pranks." </p><p>Sehun's eyes fluttered towards the older's lips as he slowly leaned in, closing the distance between them and placed his lips on Jongin's. His hands rested on the older's shoulders and his lips moved against Jongin's at a steady pace before he slowly pulled away. </p><p>"I don't know if this helps but...do you believe me now?" Sehun asked as he looked at Jongin, the unease visible in his eyes as he waited for Jongin's reaction. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"You have no idea how lucky you've made me. I like you too, maybe a bit too much," Jongin admitted as he pulled the younger back in his embrace, arms wrapping around the boy's waist as he pressed their lips together again. Even in his dreams Jongin never expected the evening to end this way but he couldn't have asked for anything better. His eyes were closed as he moved his lips against Sehun's, the younger's arms were wrapped around his neck as Sehun pressed himself closer. Their lips danced together as if in a choreographed move, this was as romantic as it got. This is what he dreamt college would be like. However, it was as if the universe hated him. Things never went the way he wanted them to. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Jonginnie? God good, it is you!" a familiar voice was heard as Jongin pulled away from Sehun at once. Not only did he pull away, but he also stood three feet away from him. Sehun looked at him befuddled and turned to look in the direction from where the sound came from. </p><p>"Mom, dad? What are you guys even doing here this late at night?" he asked gulping. Sehun not so surprisingly looked a bit disturbed as he looked at Jongin before turning to look at the couple who came closer. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Your dad was called in to give a guest lecture today and I thought I could tag along. It's not like you visit us anymore, anyway. I can see why though. You've been very busy, but it's alright. You're a grown man. Just be more careful next time, yeah? Also, tone down the Old Spice. it's a bit much," the lady said with a small smirk playing on her lips as she stared at Sehun who quickly did a ninety-degree bow.</p><p>"Hello, ma'am, sir. Nice to meet you, I am Oh Sehun. I am an English and Korean major."</p><p> </p><p>                                                                                      </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"It's like everything that could go wrong went wrong after that kiss. Good things never last too long for me. Don't judge me, Old Spice was the thing back then...or at least that's what I tell myself. I am not fooling anyone, am I? No wonder everyone looked at me funny that day, even my mom thought I went overboard. God knows why Sehun didn't say anything, but then again he does buy cologne and perfume for me. He refuses to trust my judgement when it comes to any form of scents."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"And not to mention, of all days that my parents could have visited me, they had to come on the day when I finally confessed to Sehun. Or well, he confessed. It's the one and the same. I wonder if Buzzfeed also has a list of the worst ways to introduce the love of your life to your parents because I am pretty sure them catching the two of you kissing probably only comes second to them walking in on you having sex."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Wait, they do have a list for that? Can I see it? What sort of Journalism school are these people going to anyway?"</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello everyone,</p><p>I've been a bit busy with things. Life has been busy with uni work, internships and more, which is why I would like to apologise for the late update. I hope you all have been doing well and trying to make the best out of everything going on. So Jongin and Sehun are finally together! I know some of you might feel like you didn't get to see the development of their relationship but I can assure you all that you will get to see more of it going forward. </p><p>I will come back with the next update really soon! Until then please let me know what you thought, did you like the chapter, what did you not like? Constructive criticism is also welcome! Please, subscribe, like and share the chapter if you liked it. </p><p>Until next time!</p><p>Loads of love</p><p>Aish20</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everyone! <br/>This is my first Sekai story which is mildly inspired by the movies, The Marriage Story, Bibaho Diaries and the tv show Reply 1988. As the name suggests this story will be about Sehun and Jongin's marriage from when they first met to the present day. I wanted to try a different approach with this story, which is why the plot will go back and forth from Jongin's interviews to flashbacks of moments from Jongin and Sehun's life together. In these trying times, I wanted to put up something relatable, funny yet heartwarming for my readers. I hope this story can make your day a little better and give you some strength to keep going. I hope you all can bear with me and give this story a chance. Until next time.<br/>Loads of love,<br/>Aish20</p></blockquote></div></div>
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